Looking for Examples

Because the Habits of Mind are derived from studies of successful people, they have an authenticity about them that makes them easy to spot in real life. These are how successful people really use their minds, so if you observe successful people you can see them in action!

To convince yourself, or others, of the relevance and importance of the Habits of Mind all you need to do is to look for exemplars in the world around you. These might come from the media, business, a field of study such as science or literature, sports, or history to name a few. Biography’s of successful people are especially rich in examples.

Without fail, when you look into the actions of successful people, or the actions people took in a particular situation they had success in, you will see them engaging in the Habits of Mind.

Alternatively you might look to stories and novels for more examples. Any character that has to overcome challenges will, by definition, display the Habits of Mind to a high level. There is a great list of books categorized by the Habits of Mind available on the Instittue for Habits of Mind web site (click on Resources and Bibliography of Books).

Non examples can also be very interesting to consider. Look for examples of people who fail to excercise their Habits of Mind and reflect on the results of these actions.

Use the comment section below to give some examples of people who are great examples of one or more of the Habits of Mind. Make sure you say why they are great examples!